The present invention relates generally to wireless phones, and more particularly, to systems methods and computer products for pooling of wireless collection bandwidth.
Wireless phones are becoming more and more sophisticated and capable of services beyond just voice. Internet access, gaming and even video are now possible on small portable devices. Also, wireless phones which traditionally use cell service such as CMDA, GSM, etc. are also capable of using alternative networks such as Wi-Fi or WiMax when they are available and are capable of switching back and forth between traditional and alternative networks. Unfortunately, current bandwidth access prohibits optimal performance of many of the newer services, such as video.
Mesh networking is a way to route data, voice and instructions between nodes. Mesh networking allows for continuous connections and reconfiguration around broken or blocked paths by “hopping” from node to node until the destination is reached. A mesh network whose nodes are all connected to each other is a fully connected network. Mesh networking is a subclass of mobile ad hoc networking (MANET). A MANET is a kind of wireless ad-hoc network and is a self-configuring network of mobile routers (and associated hosts) connected by wireless links—the union of which forms an arbitrary topology. The routers are free to move randomly and organize themselves arbitrarily; thus, the network's wireless topology may change rapidly and unpredictably. Such a network may operate in a standalone fashion, or may be connected to a larger network such as the Internet.
As discussed above, current bandwidth access prohibits optimal performance of many newer services such as downloading video content. There exists a need to improve access to bandwidth to provide enhanced downloading services to wireless devices such as cellular telephones.